Same Song, Fourth Verse

Friday

Sep 28, 2007 at 12:01 AM

By Derrick Stuckly — Brownwood Bulletin

SAN ANGELO — The defense was again relentless from the start, while the offense needed a half to get on track as the No. 8 Brownwood Lions disposed of the San Angelo Lake View Chiefs, 38-7, Thursday night at San Angelo Stadium.

The Lions (4-0), coming off a 13-day layoff between games and a 48-minute lightning delay prior to the opening kick, led just 10-0 at halftime despite four drives that advanced inside Lake View (1-4) territory.

But Brownwood’s defense forced four more turnovers — giving them 10 takeaways for the year — and surrendered 265 yards of total offense, while the offense scored on four of its possessions in the second half to put the game out of reach.

“We talked at the half about the difference between pushing and pressing,” said Lions head coach Steve Freeman. “That was our whole conversation. We came on in the second half and some of that got corrected, but it wasn’t mistake-free. It was an awkward night, but we got through it and this was a good win. Now we’ll move on.”

Following a lackluster first half, the Lions were off and running less than a minute into the third quarter.

The second snap of the second half saw Munson intercept Baker at the Chiefs’ 35 and return the ball 20 yards to the 15.

Following a 15-yard penalty for a chop block, Pachall connected with Garrett Goodwin on a deep slant for a 21-yard touchdown just 2:29 into the second half. Jarrod Howey’s extra point increased Brownwood’s lead to 17-0.

Lake View responded with an 11-play, 56-yard march from its own 20 to the Lions’ 24, but the drive stalled when Munson broke up a 4th-and-4 pass attempt to Chase Welch.

Brownwood then responded with its most impressive drive of the night, which covered 76 yards in just six snaps as the Lions took a 24-0 lead.

The drive began with a 22-yard scramble by Pachall, followed by a 14-yard Burr run and a 28-yard hook-up from Pachall to Jacob Allen. The drive reached its conclusion when Burr scored on a 4-yard run with 2:18 left in the third period.

Burr tacked on his second touchdown — a 2-yard dive — with 5:57 left in the game, which capped a nine-play, 47-yard drive. Howey converted his fourth of five extra-point kicks to give Brownwood its largest lead of the night, 31-0.

The Lions were flagged twice on the drive — two of their 12 penalties for 110 yards - which forced Pachall to complete a 3rd-and-12, 22-yard pass to Parker Taylor down to the Lake View 4.

Lake View then broke up the shutout with a 99-yard scoring drive that was sustained by a pair of 15-yard Brownwood penalties.

Baker hooked up with Chase Welch on a 43-yard catch-and-run, which set up Chris Blair’s 17-yard touchdown run with 3:05 left in the game, cutting the Lions’ lead to 31-7.

But the Lions needed just one play to answer after Vaccaro recovered a Lake View onside kick on the Chiefs’ 47. Pachall found a streaking Bubby Harrell for the second time, this reception marking Harrell’s first touchdown of the season.

Brownwood lit up the scoreboard for the first time on its third possession — a nine-play, 52-yard march. The drive culminated with a 7-yard Vaccaro run with 11 seconds left in the opening period.

The touchdown came three plays after Shelby Miller hauled in a 23-yard reception from Pachall on 4th-and-10 from the Lake View 40.

The Lions’ second scoring drive began on the Lake View 36 late in the second period after Skelton pounced on a Chiefs’ fumble.

Lake View was running an option to the right side, but Williams hesitated on the play as it appeared a Chief offensive lineman jumped early. A flag was not thrown, however, and the Lions’ aggressive play on defense led to the first turnover of the night.

The Lions took 10 plays to move 26 yards down the Lake View 10, but a 3rd-and-goal sack — one of four on the night — forced Brownwood into a 33-yard field goal attempt. Howey nailed the kick, which gave the Lions their 10-0 halftime advantage.